The Ocean is my Enemy
by beamz
Summary: LuNa. Used to be a oneshot. First chap is real angsty, but it gets better. In midst of all doubt, Luffy knows that Nami survived.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ocean is my Enemy**

_Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer, that's what they say. But what happens when your friends meet your enemies?_

He closed his eyes.

Blood.

He cringed, and shivers crept up his spine . . . he held them back, but felt his insides shake instead.

His rough fingertips traced the sand around him . . . he was on the beach. The soft grains were wet to the touch meaning it had rained.

His brows furrowed. But he already knew that it rained, though. His crew had just sailed through the storm. The sheer strength of the waves almost capsized the boat, and the wind made even the soft sea air become brittle and harsh to the touch. The sweet horizon he had come to love disappeared in the falling rain. They had made a mistake in trying to sail through it; it was a miracle they had made it out!

Or rather, most of them made it out.

The sounds of the coast flooded his ears- the waves lapping violently along the shore, slowly engulfing the sand as the tide came in. He heard no birds though, no sign of life except for himself and the sea. His brain felt empty, which for him was no big surprise. He wasn't the brightest man, but he never had felt so oddly out of place near something he cared for so dearly. Why?

His tattered straw hat lay before him, washed in from the waves. From where he sat, crouched over, the hat never seemed so misplaced.

Which is strange. It was his hat. He was returning it to Shanks one day. It remained to be his most prized treasure since he was a child. So. . . why hasn't he placed it back on his head?

The wind blew his soft black locks into his face. Was it the sea that was calling to him? His straw hat turned over and swayed upside-down on the uneven terrain.

He sighed. His patience had no limits, except when it came to food, until now.

He closed his eyes. She had fallen overboard in the storm, after it was beginning to clear. They ran to jump in and save her, but she yelled to them she would be fine. She told them it would only make it worse if they jumped in after her. She had something she was floating on. She promised she would be safe and meet them when she washed up on land. She _promised_.

But the water was red. There were rocks beneath the oceans violent exterior when she had jumped in. The water on her face . . . wasn't the rain. She was in pain.

Blood.

Frowning, he looked back to his swaying straw hat.

The hat Nami wore when she fell off. His breath hitched, and his eyes grew wide. He thinks he understands now. Slowly, his eyes lowered and his hands fell to his sides.

"_. . . I see."_

Standing back up and not bothering to rub off the sand on his clothes and body, he walked to his prized hat that lay in front of him. The wind blew again as he stared at the tattered item for a second, asking it silent questions. Crouching down next to it, he reached out and grabbed it, holding it in front of himself, analyzing.

"_The ocean took Nami away. . . "_

Softly, he placed his hat back on his head. The instant it touched him, he felt as if he couldn't breathe, couldn't talk. . . Why?

The ocean's waves roared with power, crashing onto the shore just inches from his feet. He stared out, hand still atop his hat, as if forcing it to stay put. He frowned towards the sea as a rush of shivers crawled throughout his body. Again, he held them in. A Captain was not weak. . . . But his insides shook as if earthquakes roamed the depths of his soul.

He was silent – but the sea was loud – yelling, taunting him. Ocean spray filled his nostrils, and he turned his head up in disgust.

The rest of the crew came toward him, awaiting his judgment. They silently waited for him to speak . . . to whisper . . . anything.

Tears fell silently from his chin as he covered his face with his hat. How long had they been falling?

He wiped them away. But they continued to fall.

. . . '_Who can we rely on if you falter?'. . . _

Looking toward the ground, he spoke quietly and bitterly to no-one in particular.

"The ocean . . . is my enemy. . . "

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Ooookay well who can tell I was bored :-P lol. I'm just keeping myself busy here. Leave a review, don't care if you loved it or hated it, I'm not exactly crazy about it myself :-)

Beamz


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to those of you that reviewed, It's greatly appreciated :-D

**The Ocean is my Enemy**

**Chapter Two: Doubt**

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Nami sputtered and coughed as the waves continued to toy with her in the storm. The salt water stung in her eyes and felt like ice against her skin, and she struggled to stay afloat. Her leg had caught on a rock and was torn slightly; the water around her was beginning to turn red. At least the water had begun to numb the wound- she couldn't take much more pain.

"Nami!!!!!"

Cursing to herself, she struggled to look up at who had called her name. The waves pounded against her frail frame and made it difficult to see. Giving herself an extra push, she gazed past the waves and back up at Thousand Sunny with squinted eyes. Luffy was calling her name - no - screaming to her as she drifted farther and farther away. She saw his hand reach out as the other crew members stopped him from jumping overboard – she watched as he fought against them to go and get her.

_He'll drown in this! Idiot! I can't let that happen!_

Getting as full a gasp of air she could, she yelled back to him, fighting the waves. "Don't – _mmmphh!_ She gargled as more water forced its way down her throat - Don't follow me!" She coughed and fell under again, and once more she frantically swam to the top gasping for air.

"WHAT?! Nami! I'm coming to get you! We'll get you out!!" He yelled back, desperation filling him as he tried to fight off his crew. "No Luffy! You can't go in there! You'll be the death of yourself and Nami if you do that!" "Luffy, Stop!" They yelled at him, trying to get him under control.

"But Nami's in there! WE-CANT-LET-HER-GO!" He continued attempting to escape the grasp of his crew. Why were they holding him back?

Nami heard their yells through half-deaf ears. The water was almost completely covering her now, and she needed a plan. They were about to jump in and try to save her; this would only make it more difficult to get back to the ship- they'd be throwing away their lives! If she got under the current . . . she had a chance on her own . . . but she needed to make sure they didn't follow her.

She felt shivers run up and down her body – she didn't have much longer like this. Her body ached all over and her leg still throbbed in the icy water. She was holding on to a stray piece of plywood that had broken from the ship with her life- she didn't dare let it go.

Flinching as she struggled to yell out to them, she remembered the straw hat still atop her head. She smiled slightly, and felt some of the pain fade away. "You guys! I'm alright!" She paused as another large wave engulfed her in the sea. She quickly returned to the surface – almost out of breath. Coughing and grasping even tighter to her plywood, she yelled. "I have something to float on! I'll be alright! I'll meet you on that island when I wash ashore!" She pointed to her left, where a small island had come into view as the storm had just begun to clear.

"But Nami!-" Luffy yelled out to her.

"I Promise!" she interrupted. "I Promise I will see you there!" Her gaze connected with Luffy's, and she held it. Her eyes pleaded for him to just let her go. She knew what she was doing. She watched as his actions calmed, and he watched her struggle.

Relieved, Nami was caught off guard by a monstrous wave and taken deeper than before. She gasped as the overbearing power of the sea pulled her under, and she watched as the sweet bubbles of air escaped and climbed to the surface. Her hand reached out to no avail, grasping for the surface to come nearer . . . _just a little closer . . ._

"NAMI!!"

"_NAMI!!" _She heard her captains muffled screams from the surface. Why's he so upset? She told him she'd be fine . . . though this did hurt like hell . . . and her vision was fading.

The dark blue that was the sea began to blur in front of her eyes; she squinted them even tighter. Regardless, she needed to escape, and soon. She was running out of time . . . and air. Shaking her head trying to wake it, she swam under the current for as long as her oxygen would take her. After a short time, her head felt like it would pop, and her chest almost caved in from the pressure. Every heartbeat shook her bones and pulsed throughout her body.

Heaving, she pushed her body up to the surface by pumping her arms and one leg as hard as she could. The water naturally resisted, pushing against her wild strokes. Flashes of black appeared in front of her and disappeared; She felt a little dizzy from the blood loss already. Breaking the surface with a splash, she felt a chilled wind sweep over her face as she gasped for air, coughing up excess water.

Her hair stuck to her face in sleek strands, dripping water as she stayed afloat. She had her eyes closed – she could feel the current had calmed enough to keep her head above the water. Her gasps for air continued and her leg still throbbed – and now she was running out of energy. Not good. Bringing a hand to her face, she pushed back her hair to keep the water out of her eyes. They were probably red already from the exposure to the salt water.

But wait . . . she patted her head . . . what happened to the hat? Her heart rate accelerated as she felt around her head again. What happened to it? The most prized possession of her Captain? The prized possession he had given to _her_ to wear? She felt for it behind her, to no avail. Her eyes widened. This wasn't happening.

Panicking, she turned in the water this way and that, searching for the hat. She splashed frantically as she was doubted even more and more. The hat wasn't in sight. She must've lost it in the storm.

"_Shit."_ Cursing inwardly, she felt a pang of guilt seep into her. She had lost Luffy's treasure. What would he say when she found them? _If she found them . . ._

Finally breathing more normal, she turned her attention to the nearing island. Her nakama's ship wasn't in sight. Great. In fact, their ship wasn't anywhere _close_ to her. So . . . she was injured, treading water, lost Luffy's hat, and now alone. This wasn't going to be an easy one.

Slowly, she inched her way towards the island. She lost the plywood, too, so she would need to take turns floating, and swimming. If the current took her out again, she was doomed.

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Land.

How long had it been? How many hours? Sighing out of relief, Nami crawled her way onto the soggy beach. The storm from earlier must have come from this direction. She never would have thought it would take as long as it did to get to the island. From a ships perspective, she would have arrived in no time. But injured and weary, it took hours.

She breathed in the sweet salt air for what seemed like the first relaxed breath in days. What were the chances of her making it out? It was truly amazing she had survived, but for how much longer could she hold on? She began to analyze herself as she lay on the sand.

Multiple scratches and bruises covered her long arms and legs. She turned her head in disgust – her pale skin made them stand out even more. A long gash covered the side of her leg; it was the one that had been struck by the rocks earlier. It too, looked morbid. Didn't take much to truly screw up your body, that's for sure.

The skin around the wound was puffed up and white, and there appeared to be sand and dirt caught in the gash itself. As soon as the wound touched air, she realized the pain increase tenfold and she had to refrain from moving her leg any longer. A deep red resided in the wound's center and began to climb the walls of skin that had been peeled away.

Cursing herself, Nami tried to climb up higher on the beach. The humid air stuck to her skin and made her feel sticky; she struggled to keep balance so she wouldn't roll over on her leg. It was still throbbing. If she wasn't quick, there'd be an infection.

As she reached up to climb higher up the beach, Nami suddenly felt lightheaded. The beach began to spin and she heard nothing but the waves crashing on the shore. Groaning, she closed her eyes and was overcome with dizziness as she clutched the sand for support. She cringed as she tried to open her eyes, seeing nothing but black dots cover her vision. Finally, she gave up and passed out on the beachside, injured and dehydrated.

As she passed out, Nami didn't realize that a man had come out of hiding.

The man was young - around twenty years of age. His dark skin glistened in the now appearing sun, and his chocolate brown locks swayed lightly in his face – the bangs just reaching the tips of his eyelashes. His soft green eyes rested on her form, and the concerned man came closer to her. Who was this mysterious beauty?

As he crouched down, he gasped at her injured leg, and immediately tried to wake her. Her pale face only breathed lightly and remained unresponsive. Checking her pulse, he realized her to be in danger and opted to carry her to his local village.

He picked her up with ease, and his toned body made it's was back through the trees and toward his home. He would take her there to have her taken care of, and decided he would ask questions about her mysterious appearance later. Who knew? Perhaps this woman needed a home, and she was surely welcome to stay with him.

He looked down at her pale face, concerned. Her body was wet and cold and sandy, and she looked to be in pain. First things first – he would make sure she was properly taken care of. Good thing his father was the village doctor.

After a few more minutes of trekking through the forestry, the man's village came into view. The sun was beginning to peek through the clouds again. The sweet smell of cooking filled the man's nostrils and a billow of smoke exited some fireplaces. It felt good to be home.

Quickening his pace, the man entered his hut and was immediately greeted by his father.

"Absalom! Welcome back son! Who's that you got there? Is she alright? . . . Oh my"

Showing his father the wound on Nami's leg, Absalom's father got right to work. Nami was immediately placed on a medical bed and given an IV. Her breaths were shallow but her pulse became more stable with more time. Absalom was asked to leave the room while him father began to stitch and clean Nami's leg; if he wasn't careful, Nami wouldn't survive long after waking.

The older man worked on Nami for hours, tenderly cleaning the wounded area and stitching it up. She also had broken ribs and countless minor injuries along her fair skin. This young woman sure went through a beating.

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Luffy sat up in the tallest tree he could find, facing the sea.

It was a standoff.

He held the brim of his straw hat with his fingertips, and let the wind from the sea cascade over him. His eyes closed, he sat and thought. He looked serene, calm. He told them all he was going to go think, and set off by himself.

What was he thinking about?

Was it just an excuse?

An excuse . . . to wait.

"She's not coming back, Luffy."

A voice cut through his thoughts.

His jaw stayed set, and he didn't even flinch at the voice of one of his crew. They've been sending each other over to him to call up the tree. Tell him she's not coming. Tell him it's useless. Hopeless. He ignored them.

"Look." The swordsman paused. "We are all feeling loss. And we're all having to deal with Nami's death –"

"She's not dead." Luffy interjected. His hands balled into fists and his brows furrowed. Eyes still closed, he breathed out. "She's not dead."

Sighing, Zoro walked off to join the rest of the crew. He looked solemnly towards his feet. There was no getting to Luffy when his mind was set. He had taken the loss of Nami worse than the rest of the crew. Probably because he knew Luffy had the responsibility of Captain. The loss of a nakama . . . was the loss of part of yourself, as well.

Hearing Zoro's footsteps dim as he got farther away, Luffy's face calmed, and once again he went in a trance-like state. The sun had just come out, and kindly warmed his tan skin. A breeze blew over him, a breeze that blew over the whole island, and he smiled.

When the wind blew, he could feel _her_ in it.

She was here.

"_Nami . . ."_

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The orange-haired Navigator awoke with a start, beads of cool sweat on her forehead.

_Where… am I?_

On attempting to sit up, she felt a strong hand push her back down onto her bed.

"Take it easy there young lady! You went through quite a bit today!"

Landing back on her sheets, Nami peered at the older man in suspicion. Where in the hell was she? Realizing she was in a completely different setting, she looked to her leg that was now tenderly stitched and cleaned, wrapped in bandages. Also, she felt a snug bandage wrapped around her torso, and a few smaller ones along her arms.

"Did it all myself, you know. You were in one heck of a situation, let me tell you!" The older man began again. "The name's Ishin, and I'm the village doctor here. I'm the father of the handsome young man that brought you here!"

Wait . . . someone brought her here? Nami's brows furrowed in confusion. Where was she last . . . the beach? She remembered passing out, and that was it. Someone must have found her and brought her back to be taken care of. And from the looks of it, it was a good thing they did…

Giving herself an extra push, she sat up higher on her bed and looked more clearly at the old man. "Thanks . . . how did you find me?"

Ishin looked back to her and smiled. "My son found you lying on the beach in pretty bad shape. He was concerned for you, so he brought you here, to me. Care if I ask you your name?"

Nami listened and realized she had been saved, against all odds, again. The people here seemed to be poor, to her dismay, but also seemed to be genuine. It was a small village from the looks of this 'hospital' too.

"I'm Nami . . . tell me Ishin, has there been anyone else that's new on the island?"

Ishin frowned a bit. "I'm afraid not. But this island is large, so there's really no telling for sure. Why do you ask? Were you not alone?"

Nami sighed, looking down at her bed sheets. "No . . . I was alone." She said, wondering to herself whether or not she should tell this man she's a pirate. "I just need more rest, I think." She finished, giving him one last nod as she lay back down and faced away from him.

"I understand. Rest up! And you might even be well enough to start moving around tomorrow." The doctor said. Then, he silently got out of his chair and left, closing Nami's door to leave her in privacy.

Nami heard the door shut and she closed her eyes, waiting for sleep. She curled her blanket around her for comfort and frowned to herself. She swore she heard Luffy's voice when she woke up in this bed. What was that supposed to mean? Was he here?

Sighing, Nami rested her body and fell back asleep, tired of thinking. And for some reason, she just had this feeling Luffy was near her . . . but why not the rest of the crew?

'_Luffy . . .'_

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Okay! Second chapter, slightly longer, is up! I think I am a bit more satisfied that I kept Nami alive. Anyone else? Hope you enjoy reading it because I enjoyed writing it! Thanks again to you previous reviewers. R&R!

Beamz


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